We’re convinced that one of the best ever reading experiences is when you close a book, sigh a happy sigh, and then a couple months later you’re STILL thinking of the book. You know those books that just settle in and become a piece of you? That’s what we’re talking about today.
Please enjoy this list of books that we’ve read in the last year or so that have taken up permanent residence in our minds.
SARAH CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT:
THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach - full review here
This was my second favorite book of 2023 and now that it’s almost out in the world I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy and re-read it. There was something about taking such a dark topic (suicide) and spinning it into this completely humanity filled story that I can’t stop thinking about nearly a year after reading it. (Out July 30)
SANDWICH by Catherine Newman - full review here
The pieces of this book that were specifically about mothering young children are what I can’t get out of my head. There was something about this book that made me feel not only nostalgic for the past, but also so completely present. It’ll definitely be one I read again someday.
IN MEMORIAM by Alice Winn - full review here
The last historical fiction book that I was completely absorbed in before this one was THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. This one with its tender love story set amidst a terrifying scene ticked up and up in rating for me until it settled firmly at five stars because I couldn’t get the boys at the heart of the story out of my brain.
FATHER OF THE RAIN by Lily King - full review here
I have a feeling this is one that is going to stick with me for years to come. The life with an alcoholic father is something that is so personal to me (I wrote a whole piece about it for my personal Substack) and it made me think about it in a new way.
THE OTHER YEAR by Rea Frey - full review here
Maybe tragedy is one way for a book to get stuck in my mind - but this one with it’s sliding doors type vibe and a young daughter my son’s age still makes me want to sob just thinking about it. I read it way back in January and can guarantee it’ll be in my top of the year.
READY OR NOT by Cara Bastone - full review here
I was not at all expecting the absolute heart that came with this rom-com. And I know the “surprise pregnancy” trope is throwing people off but I swear, it’s not in the way that typical rom-coms do it. I’ve read this book twice now and every time I just grin - and Shep is the second best book boyfriend out there (behind Hayes Campbell, naturally).
SHARK HEART by Emily Habeck - full review here
When you’ve got a book where a guy turns into a great white shark and somehow it’s NOT completely bonkers, naturally you’re going to continue to think about it and the witchcraft that was woven through the pages. I truly cannot wait to read her next book because … wow.
MIA CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT:
THE HOLLOW PLACES by T. Kingfisher - full review here
Imagine finding a secret portal in your uncle’s house/museum and when you go through it, you become lost in a nightmare alternate world. It’s just as terrifying as it sounds and I think about it every time I pass a museum.
THESE SILENT WOODS by Kimi Cunningham Grant - full review here
I’m a daddy’s girl and this daddy-daughter story was so compelling. Living in an isolated cabin full of books with my dad? I’m sold. But there’s also action and mystery in this one that kept me on the edge of my seat. Any book that reminds me of my daddy is golden.
THE TRAVEL BOG DIARIES by Liz Deacle - full review here
I adore travel memoirs, especially funny ones, and this one had me crying-laughing with every chapter. Liz travels around the world for a year with her family and they get into some of the funniest situations ever. We recently had a travel mishap on our way back from the Keys and I immediately thought, “What would Liz do?”
LEGENDS & LATTES by Travis Baldree - full review here
A cozy story about a retired orc assassin named Viv who opens up a coffee shop in a land that hasn’t heard of coffee before? Literal perfection. I know there are other books in this series now, and I need to read them because I can’t stop thinking about what Viv is doing now.
AFTER (the series) by Anna Todd - full reviews here and here
I can’t stop thinking about this series! I’m still obsessed. It’s a dark, toxic romance series about a good girl who falls for the bad boy and the ups and downs of their volatile relationship. Fun fact: the author wrote these stories as One Direction fanfic on Wattpad and the bad boy main character is based on Harry Styles.
LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam - full review here
I often think about what will happen to society if we no longer have the internet to keep us connected to what’s going on in the world. The loss of communication is the focus of this book and how a family on vacation tries to figure out what’s going on.